Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-04-22
LIFE IN THE WILD WEST.
A Ransh Near the sierra madre Noun

RanSh Near the sierra sradre Noun
tains-Not an Attractive Feature.
In the eternal snow banks lying in the
shadows cast by the lofty peaks of the
Sierra Madre mountains, just north of
North park, Big creek has its rise. 1t is
q rapid, foamy stream of ice water, flow
ing through dense forests of pine. On
the banks about two miles from the foot
hills and at the head of the meadow,
stands small hut built of unhewn pine
logs. The roof of the hut consists of
pine poles placed side by side and COW
cred with clay. The floor is of logs,
roughly hewn to an uneven surface, like
railroad ties. The spaces between the
floor logs are filed with rubbish aud lit
ter. The interior of this dwelling is six
teen feet. by twenty feet. Two small
windows admit light Against the east
ern end of the room stands a rusty, bat
tered old cooking stove. Two rough
shelves extend from the rusty stove pipe
to the corner of the room. These were
laden, when last visited the ranch, with
tin plates, tin cups, baking powder cans,
plugs of chewing tobacco, dirty tobacco
pipes, roll of streaked butter, bits OF
bread, bread board, dirty spoons, and
two SLOUGH hats.
Against the northern wall a gun rack,
made of antelope horns, was solidly
nailed. In the rack. were four heavy re-
peating rifles, and four powerful field
glasses hung by them. Two hunks filled
with hay occupy the, northwest corner
of the room. A roll of heavy California
blankets lies at the head of each bunk.
a long, rough, greasy table stands in
the center of the room. Around it empty
boxes, once filled with camel vegeta-
bles, are placed for seats. Rolls of
blankets, rolls of buffalo robes. and two
bearskins occupy the space at the base
of the southern wall. Piled high in the
southwest corner are sacks of flour,
slabs of bacon, bags of sugar, boxes of
canned goods, and various kinds of
provisions. For reading matter few
we'll thumbed pictorial papers, which
pretend to set forth the doings of the de-
PRAYED people of the country, are on the
greasy table. Clothes of canvas and
flannel shirts hang on pegs all around
the room. Two small oil lamps, never
under any circumstances, cleaned or
trimmed, stand on a little shelf over one
of the windows. There is lantern
standing on the floor under one of the
hunks, and two saddles under the other
and large quantity of unlisted litter
and portable property scattered over the
floor. Such is the adornment of the in
terror of this choice retreat the home of
the cattle raisers. t.r
Outside of the house is a row of sad
die pegs, driven into the topmost log.
A tin wash basin sits on bench which
stands near the door, and piece of yell
low soap lies beside it, while dirty jack
towel flutters from a peg above. On the
ground are antelope skins that long ex-
posture to the weather has rolled into
balls.
Thel feshless heads of elk, deer, and
antelope are scattered along the base of
the building. They will be nailed up
next Tuesday afternoon-but next Tues
day afternoon never comes. The heads,
legs, and feathers of sage hens and OTHER
grouse, the heads and feet of jack rab-
bits, bones, old boots, cast off clothing,
and pile of empty tin cans, with out
lying cans as sentinels, litter the ground
in front of the house. Twelve feet in
front of the open door there is very
small pile OF firewood, against which
dull axe with crooked handle leans, as
though it were alive and weary of ranch
life. One hundred yards north of the
house large log barn stands. 1t has
been there for four years, but is not
chinked and mudded, but will be
chinked and mudded next week, which,
of course, never comes There is on the
ranch a hay rake, two moving ma
chimes, two wagons, and three heavy
headed dogs that are so weary of ranch
life that they do not take sufficient in
terest in its affairs to bark at a stranger.
If there were any other articles of per-
sonal property around this home of the
cattlemen, they were so securely hidden
that did not see them. OF course there
We're many cattle and horses grazing
in the valley and on the steep hillsides
/. Eight men lived in this dirty, vermin-
infested hut. They cooked, ate, smoked,
and chewed tobacco, and slept in the
one room. They washed in the same
basin, frequently in the same water, and
dried themselves on the same jack towel.
Uncultivated young blackguards3 Not
at all. Well-educated young men, who
thoroughly understood their business of
handling 3-year-old steers, and who
were making money rapidly. When
they were in the east they lived as gem
tlemen should. In the west they live
like swine, thinking nothing of it,
Frank Wilkeson in New York Sun.